As scenic drives go, the 836km between Sydney and Melbourne along the Hume Highway is, for many people, exciting as a TV test pattern. The sprawling country between Australia’s two largest cities is always dry and the weather hot, with a midday glare that somehow lasts for hours. Sheep, cattle, hills, grass, dirt, rocks, drought. […]
Tag: Australia
TFE Hotels left with Travelodge COVID quarantine mess, guests evacuated
The reputation of TFE Hotels, one of Australia’s largest accommodation groups, has taken a hit after 366 guests quarantined in the Travelodge Hotel Sydney were last night evacuated by NSW Police who determined that complaints about poor standards of cleanliness and hygiene at the property were valid. Guests, some of whom had had vigorously complained about […]
James Baillie, Co-Founder, Baillie Lodges
James Baillie is a 20-year veteran of high profile Australian luxury lodge properties. Having (almost) grown up on Heron Island, James became the founding managing director for P&O Resorts in the 1998 and steered Australia’s first portfolio of premium experiential properties including Lizard, Bedarra & Wilson Islands and Silky Oaks Lodge. When P&O sold to […]
Hertz cuts Australian fleet by 40%, calls for border openings, launches #backontheroad
Hertz wants to get Australia moving again. Eoin Macneill, Vice President, Hertz Asia Pacific, today called on Australian governments to start opening borders and encouraging travel, revealing a lack of demand has forced the car rental giant to cut its Australian rental fleet by 40 per cent, from 35,000 vehicles to an estimated 20,000 sedans, […]
Geoff McGeary, Founder, Australian Pacific Touring
The McGeary family have owned Australian Pacific Touring – APT – since it was founded as De Luxe Motors in 1927 when Geoff’s father, Bill, built a bus body on a tray truck to cover part of the tram route during a tram strike in Melbourne. The company made steady progress until 1961 when Bill […]
Tony Cannon, Co-Owner, Komune Resorts
An avid surfer, Tony Cannon graduated with a civil engineering degree from the University of Adelaide embarking initially on a career in construction and development. After several years in project management of major engineering, petrochemical and retail development construction, Tony started a property development company in the late 90’s building and selling apartments and townhouses […]
Paul Fischmann, Founder and CEO, 8Hotels Collection
Paul Fischmann is the Founder and CEO of 8Hotels Collection, Australia’s leading Boutique Hotel Operators. In 2004, Fischmann formed the company with the intention of developing and operating boutique hotels in prime locations that focused on value, service, design and charm. Just eight years later he has turned a business that began with three Sydney […]
Rob Smith, Divisional Director, Merlin Entertainments
Rob Smith is the Divisional Director of Merlin Entertainments Australia and New Zealand, the second-largest attraction operator in the world. With over 17 years’ experience in the tourism and attraction industry across Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific, Rob leads the overall management, regional strategies and financial/non-financial responsibilities for Merlin’s 13 attractions in Australia & New […]
Schwartz flies high, invests in Sydney Seaplanes
Just six weeks after Sydney pub baron Justin Hemmes was quoted as a potential buyer of Sydney Seaplanes, hotel mogul Dr Jerry Schwartz has swooped and invested in the business. As part of the investment, Schwartz, an aviation buff, will add two amphibious aircraft he owns to the Sydney Seaplanes fleet, increasing it to six […]
Fee for all coming to an end with Airbnb’s host commission switch?
Pricing is set to get a shakeup in Australia’s short term rental (STR) industry from November 1 when Airbnb scraps guest service charges and moves to a 15 per cent host commission only model – up from 3 per cent – for its software-connected hosts and property managers. It is a huge change for an […]